Lid arrangement for vertical storage filing cabinet



April 4, 6 V 5. I. BARKER 3,312,513

LID ARRANGEMENT FOR VERTICAL STORAGE FILING CABINET Filed Dec. 1, 1965United States Patent v r smash it I LID ARRANGEMENT or? VERTICAL STORAGEFILI G CABINET Graham Irving Barker, 208 GoldenOakgCorlett Drive,Johannesburg, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa Filed Dec. 1, 1965,Ser. No. 511,294 2 Claims. (Cl. 312-184) This invention relates tofiling cabinets for drawings and the like in which the drawings are hungvertically on pins projecting from moving laths, and more particularlyt0 lids for covering and retaining on said pins the filed articles.

It is a primary object of the invention to provide such a cabinet inwhich articles of less than full cabinet width can be independentlystored and removed without disturbing or risking the inadvertentunhanging of other such articles.

In general the invention provides a pair of side by side lids mountedfor independent pivotal movement on one lath, each lid having a forwarddownwardly extending lip for independently retaining either of a pair ofside by side filed articles of less than full cabinet width while theother of said pair is removed.

Other objects, features, and advantages will appear from the followingdescription of a preferred embodiment of the invention, taken togetherwith the attached drawings thereof, in which:

FIG. 1 is a plan view partially broken away of the cabinet;

FIG. 2 is a section along 22 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a perspective of one lath with lids and pins.

Referring to the drawings, a vertical storage filing cabinet is providedwith a plurality of laths 20 movable on bearings such as rollers 12 intracks 14 in the cabinet frame 11. Shaft 15 is connected to sprockets 16coacting with chain members 18 to maintain the parallel relationship ofthe laths 20 as they are moved. Interspersed horizontal pins 22, 24mounted on the opposing faces of the laths 20 are provided to supportstored material.

Each lath 20 is movable between a fully closed position in which thefree ends 23- of its pins are adjacent the mounted ends 21 of the pinson the opposite lath, and a fully opened position in which ends 23 arewithdrawn beyond free ends 23 of the pins on the opposite lath.

Two lids 30, 30a, each half the width of a lath, are mounted side byside on the rear wall 29 of each lath 20 and each such lid includes amain portion 32, 32a .and a forward lip 34, 34a projecting downwardlytherefrom. Each lid can be independently manually pivoted forwardlyuntil main portion 32, 32a is horizontal and covers from above the pinsand suspended articles 25. When a lid is in its covering position lip34, 34a extends down below the pins (FIGS. 3, 4), serving to retainfiled Cir ."ice

articles 25 on the pins. Each lip 34, 34a has semicircular cutouts 36,36a providing clearance for the pins when the lids are closed. Thecutouts also receive rubber stops 37 at the mounted ends 21 of some ofthe pins when the laths are in closed relation to each other.

In operation, articles of half lath width or less can be suspended sideby side (i.e., end to end on a single pair of laths), and when the lathsare opened one lid can be raised to allow removal of one article whilethe other article is retained on the pins shy the other lid. Articles ofgreater than half lath width can be removed by raising both lids.

Other embodiments will occur to those skilled in the art and are withinthe following claims.

I claim:

' 1. In a filin-g cabinet having a frame and a pair of laths each havingmounted thereon a multiplicity of pins for suspending filed articles,said pins on each of said laths being directed toward the opposite lath,at least one of said laths being movable toward and away from the othersaid lath between a fully closed position in which the free ends of itssaid pins are adjacent the mounted ends of the pins on the other lath,and a fully opened position'in which said free ends are withdrawn beyondthe free ends of the pins on the other lath, that improvement comprisinga pair of lids mounted side by side on the lath opposite said movablelath for independent pivotal movement toward and away from said pins,each said lid having a main portion and a forward lip extendingdownwardly from the main portion, at least a portion of each said lipextending below said pins when said main portion is in position coveringsaid pins from above, said lips thereby preventing removal of said filedarticles from said pins even when said movable lath is in its fullyopened position,

whereby articles of width less than the full width of the laths can befiled side by side and one of said articles covered :by one lid removedwhile the other of said articles is retained on said pins by the otherlid.

2. The improvement of claim 1 wherein each said lid is approximatelyhalf the width of a lath.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,757,705 5/1930DeLisle l29-l6.7 1,911,277 5/ 1933 Helmer 12916.7 2,205,903 6/ 1940Mobus 312-484 2,370,664 3/ 1945 Hubbel-l 3 l2--184 CASMIR A. NUNBERG,Primary Examiner.

1. IN A FILING CABINET HAVING A FRAME AND A PAIR OF LATHS EACH HAVINGMOUNTED THEREON A MULTIPLICITY OF PINS FOR SUSPENDING FILED ARTICLES,SAID PINS ON EACH OF SAID LATHS BEING DIRECTED TOWARD THE OPPOSITE LATH,AT LEAST ONE OF SAID LATHS BEING MOVABLE TOWARD AND AWAY FROM THE OTHERSAID LATH BETWEEN A FULLY CLOSED POSITION IN WHICH THE FREE ENDS OF ITSSAID PINS ARE ADJACENT THE MOUNTED ENDS OF THE PINS ON THE OTHER LATH,AND A FULLY OPENED POSITION IN WHICH SAID FREE ENDS ARE WITHDRAWN BEYONDTHE FREE ENDS OF THE PINS ON THE OTHER LATH, THAT IMPROVEMENT COMPRISINGA PAIR OF LIDS MOUNTED SIDE BY SIDE ON THE LATH OPPOSITE SAID MOVABLELATH FOR INDEPENDENT PIVOTAL MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROM SAID PINS,EACH SAID LID HAVING A MAIN PORTION AND A FORWARD LIP EXTENDINGDOWNWARDLY FROM THE MAIN PORTION, AT LEAST A PORTION OF EACH SAID LIPEXTENDING BELOW SAID PINS WHEN SAID MAIN PORTION IS IN POSITION COVERINGSAID PINS FROM ABOVE, SAID LIPS THEREBY PREVENTING REMOVAL OF SAID FILEDARTICLES FROM SAID PINS EVEN WHEN SAID MOVABLE LATH IS IN ITS FULLYOPENED POSITION, WHEREBY ARTICLES OF WIDTH LESS THAN THE FULL WIDTH OFTHE LATHS CAN BE FILED SIDE BY SIDE AND ONE OF SAID ARTICLES COVERED BYONE LID REMOVED WHILE THE OTHER OF SAID ARTICLES IS RETAINED ON SAIDPINS BY THE OTHER LID.